Three-way valve



Sept. 3o. '1924. v 1,509,843

C. S. RICKER THREE-WAY VALVE Filed Jan. 5, 1921 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 ATTR'Nsts' sept" n c. s. RjcKER THREE -WAY VALVE Filed Jzm.l 5,

ATTO EYS.

Patented Sept. 30, 1924.

UNITED STATES CHESTER S. RICKER, F INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA.

THREE-WAY VALVE.

Application led January 5, 1921. Serial No. 435,079.

To all who/m, t may concern:

Be it known that I, CHESTER S. RICKER, a citizen of the United States,residing at Indianapolis, in the county of 4Marion and State of Indiana,have invented a new and useful Three-Tay Valve, of which the followingis a specification.'

There is an increasing tendency in automobile work to use the vacuumproduced in the intake manifold for operating various devices, and thisrequires a three-way valve which connects the vacuum-operated deviceeither to the intake manifold or to the atmosphere at will. y

lt is the object of my present invention to .provide a paclringlessthree-way valve which will be positively pressed against its seat, by aspring, and in which the spring pressure will be assisted by theatmospheric pressure in one or both positions of the valve.

In carrying out my invention, I provide a valve casing having portsconnected respectively to the atmosphere, to the intake manifold orother source of suction, and to the vacuum-operated device, the firsttwo of which ports are controlled by a suitable valve member or valvemembers, and I eX- tend the operating member for such valve memberloosely through the atmosphere port. My valve is not limited, however,to the particular use referred to.

rlhe accompanying drawings illustrate my invention in ratherdiagrammatic form: Fig. 1 is a central longitudinal section through asimple form of valve embodying my invention, with the valve member movedto close the atmospheric port; 2 is a fragmentary view similar to therighthand part of F 1, showing the valve member moved to close the portleading to the intake manifold; Fig. 3 is av central longitudinalsection through a modified Vform of valve, in which there are twointerconnected valve members both of which when in portclosing positionare pressed to their seats by atmosphericv pressure; Fig. 4 is a viewgenerally similar to Fig. 1, but with operating mechanism which actuatesthe valve member by turningon a cam; Fig. 5 is a front elevation of thestructure shown in Fig. 4; Fig. 6 is a longitudinal section through thevalve of Fig. 4, with the movable vvalve member removed, but is taken ona plane at right angles to that on which Fig. 4 is taken; and Fig. 7 isanother view generally similar to Fig. 1, but showing an operatingmechanism which shifts the valve in opposite directions on alternatedepressions of the push button.

Referring lirst to the simple form of my three-way valve shown in Figs.1 and Q, there is a shiftable valve member 10 shiftable te either of twopositions in a valve chamber 11 provided in a casing 12, shown as madeof two parts which may be separated to give access to the chamber 11.The valve chamber 11 has three ports 13, 14, and 15, the port 13 beingconnected to the vacuum-operated device, the port 14 to the intakemanifold or other source of vacuum, and the port 15 to the atmosphere.The port 13 communicates laterally with the chamber 11, so that it opensto such chamber regardless of the position of the valve member 10; butthe ports 14 and 15 communicate with such chamber at opposite endsthereof in the line of the aXis of the valve member 10, which has guideprojections extending loosely into such ports. The entrances from thechamber 11 to the ports 14 and 1o form opposite valve-seats for thevalve member 10, which engages such two seats when it is in its two endpositions as illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2 respectively. The valve member10 when it engages either of such seats is spring-pressed thereagainst,the spring pressure as shown being obtained by providing the valvemember 10 with an intermediate rib 16 tapered on both sides and arrangedin position to cooperate with a circular coiled contracting spring 17located in a circumferential groove 18 provided in the valve chamber 11,such groove being between the two parts of the casing l2 inthearrangementV shown.

@ne of the guide extensions for the valve member 10` is extended toforman operating rod 19. This operating rod extends loosely through theatmospheric port 15, so that it does not interfere with the passage ofair through such port, but makes packings unnecessary. I prefer to mountthe operating handle 20 on a sliding sleeve 21 having a guiding mountingin the casing 12 and loosely surrounding the rod 19, and I provide alost-motion connection between the handle 20 and the operating rodVV 19,as by providing a head 22 on such operating rod 19 within a chamber- 23which is in the op erating handle 20 and is longer than such head; butsuch lost motion connection is not necessary to my invention. he sleeve21 is provided with lateralyents 24, so that the communication from theValve chamber 11`toth'e 'atmosphere is'through the port 15, thelsleeve21, and the vvents 24C.

The valvel is operated by pushing in or pulling outon the handle 20.This shifts the valve member from one position to the" other, to"connect the port 13' either to the atmosphere or to the source ofvacuum, as isillustrated in Figs. 2 and 1 respectively. than the valveis in the position shown in Fig. 2 it is pressed against' its seat notonly by the springv 17 butby` atmospheric pressure also. By reason ofthe lost motion between the handle 20 andthe rod 19, and of the actionofthe spring 17 on the tapered rib" 16, theV valve member 10 moves withsomething of a'snap action on to its respective seats, and cannot beheld or left in an intermediate position.

In the arrangement shown in Fig. 3, the twoepart casing 12 has twointerconnected valve chambersy 11 and 11, provided btween them with thesame three ports 13, 14, and communicating respectively with thevacuum-operated device, the intake manih old'orother source of suction,and the atmosphere. The ports 13 and 15 open to the chamber 11, and theport 14tto the chamber 11", andV there are separate shiftable members 10and 10 in such two chambers. The member 10 is connected t0 anoperatinghandle by a rod 19' and a sleeve 21 exactly as described abovein connection with Fig. 1, the rod 19'extending through the port 15; andthe two members 10 and 10 are interconnected by a lever 25 so that they.must move simultaneously and in opposite directions, The member 10 has avalvepart26 which cooperates with the entrance to the port let in thesame way as does one' end of the member 10 in Figs. 1 and 2, tofcontrolrthe communication of such port with'the v interconnected chambers 11 and11". The 'member 10, however, has no valve part within the "chamber 11,but instead: a valve member 27is' mounted on the rod 19 to cooperatewith the outer end of theport 15, instead of cooperatinor with the innerend thereofl as does the valve member 10`in Fig, 1.V lThe members 10 and10 both have guiding projections, two ofwhich work loosely in the ports13 and 1a respcetively and one et which is the rod 19 working loosely inthe port 15; and each ot` said members has a tapered surface 28 withwhich a coiled contracting spring 2S) cooperates to press the valvemember 2G or 2T against its seat.

The valve shown in Fig. 3 is operated with a snap action, bymanipulating the handle 20, exactly as in the case of the valves ofFigs. 1 and 2, and it is impossible to hold it in an interinediatelposition because of the lost motion between the handle 20 and the rod19. To accomplish this result, the sloping surface 2S el" the valvemember 10 is preferably in such a position relative to the surface 28 ofthe valve member 10" that the upper spring ceases to act on the slopingsurface of the valve member 10 at substair tiallythe exact positionwhere the lower spring 29 begins to act on the sloping surface 28 of thevalve member 10. In both positions et the valve, moreover, the action ofthe spring` 29 then tending to hold the valve to its seat issupplemented by atmosplieric pressure, in the one instance (in theposition shown) acting against the outer lace oit the valve member 2T,and in the other acting against the outer face of the member 2G.

In the arrangement shown in Figs. et, 5, and G, the casing 12 has thevalve chamber 11 and the three ports 13,14, and 15, substantially as inFigs. 1 and 2, and the ports 14- and 15 are in line with each other andcontrolled by a single valve member 10 the operating rod 19 of which,projects through the atmospheric port 15. The valve member 10m, however,has a rotary as well as an axial movement, and l'or this purpose has twolaterally projecting arms 30, which cooperate with the upper and lowerhelical cam surfaces 31 forming the cud walls of the chamber 11, Inorder to turn the valve member 10, its operatingr rod 19 is bent to terma crank which projects through a slot 32 in an operating arm 33 whichmay. be swung to either side ot' a central position and is pressedtoward either end position by a tension spring 3/1 connecting such armto a lixed pin S5. By moving the arm 33 past its central position, it issnapped onward to the end position, thus turning the rod 19 and thevalve member 10 to cause the cam` surfaces 31 to move such valve .memberaxially from one of its seats to the other. rllhe atmospheric pressureassists the spring 34 in holding the valve member 10 to its seat whensuch valve member closes the port 14.

In Fig. 7, the two part casing 12 has the same ports 13, 111,; and 15 asin the other case',"and,thereV is a single axially-movable valve member10, as kin Fig. 1, the operating rod' 19 owhich` valve memberprojectsthrough the atmospheric port 15 as in the other cases. Acircumferential groove in the outer end of the rod 19 receives a forkedarm 36 which is connected by a tension spring 37 to the remote end ot acentrally pivoted lever 38, from the opposite ends of which two pivotedarms 39, spring-pressed toward each other by a tension spring40, projectupward. The free ends of the arms 39 are provided with notches 41,either of which may cooperate with a laterally projecting pin 42 fromthe stem 43 of an outwardly springpressed plunger 44. By depressing theplunger 44, the pin 42 engages the notch 41 in that one of the arms 39which is then uppermost, pushing such arm downward and tilting the lever38 to its other position. When in this movement the spring 37 passesbeyond the line of the pivot point of the lever 38, such lever issnapped onward to the position toward which it is traveling; and by thetime the lever 38 reaches such position, the lineJ of the spring 37 haspassed the pivot point of the forked lever 36, and causes such ever tosnap to its other position to move the valve member 10 `from oneposition to the other. As one arm 39 is moved downward in the movementjust described the other arm is moved upward correspondingly but the endof the upwardly moving arm slides along the side of the downwardlymoving arm until the pin 42 is passed, so that there will be nointerference with the movement; and when the spring plunger is releasedto move upward again, the spring 40 causes the arm 39 which has justbeen moved upward to move into position so that its notch 41 will lie inthe path oit the pin 42 when the plunger 44 is next pushed downward; sothat upon such next depression of the plunger an opposite movement ofall the other parts will be obtained from that caused by the previousoperation. Thus alternate depressions of the plunger 44 produce oppositemovements of the 'valve 10.

I claim as my invention:

1. A three-way valve, comprising a casing having portsfor connection toa source of suction and to a vacuum-o-perated device `and another portopen to the atmosphere,

valve means controlling the atmosphere port and the source-ot-suctionport, and an operating rod tor said valve means extending through saidatmospheric port.

2. Athree-way valve, comprising a casing having ports for connection toa source ot suction and to a vacuum-operated device and another portopen to the atmosphere, valve means controlling the atmosphere port andthe source-of-suction port, an operating rod for said valve meansextending through said atmospheric port, and spring means tending toseat said valve means in either position,

3. A three-way valve, comprising a casing having ports for connection toa source of suction and to a vacuum-operated device and another portopen to the atmosphere, valve means l controlling the atmospheric portand the source-ot-suction port, an operating rod for said valve meansextending through said atmospheric port, spring means tending to seatsaid valve means in either position, and spring means associated withsaid valve means and tending to move said valve means with a snap actionand to produce valve seating in either position.

4. A three-way valve, comprising a casing having ports for connection toa source of suction and to a vacuum-operated device and another portopen to the atmosphere, valve means controlling the atmosphere port andthe source-of-suction port, and an operating rod for said valve meansextending through said atmospheric port, said valve means being arrangedso that the pressure of the atmosphere tends to produce valve seating inat least one position.

5. A three-way valve, comprising a casing having ports for connection toa source of suction and to a vacuum-operated device and another portopen to the atmosphere, valve means controlling the atmosphere port andthe source-o-suction port, and an operating rod for said valve meansextending through said atmospheric port, said valve means being arrangedso that the pressure of the atmosphere tends to produce valve seating inboth positions.

6. A three-way valve, comprising a casing having ports for connection toa source ot suction and to a vacuum-operated device and another portopen to the atmosphere, valve means controlling the atmosphere port andthe soi1r'ce-ofsuction port, an operating rod for said valve meansextending through said atmospheric port, and spring means tending toseatsaid valve means in'either position, said valve being arranged sothat atmospheric pressure assists said spring in. producing seating inat least one position.

7. A three-way valve, comprising a casing having ports for connection toa source of suction and to a vacuum-operated device and another portopen to the atmosphere, valve means controlling the atmospheric port andthe source-ot-suction port, an operating rod 'for said valve meansextending through said atmospheric port, spring means tending to seatsaid valve means in either position, and spring means associated withsaid valve means and tending to move said valve means with a snap actionand to produce valve seating in either position, said valve beingarranged so that atmospheric pressure assists said spring in producingseating in at least one position.V

8. A three-way valve, comprising a casing having three ports, vulvemeans Controlling' 9.. A three-Way Vak/e5 Comprising n Casing havlngthree portsyone fof sald ports Conv" munic`zitng"\`vuh Vthe atmosphere,valve means'contro'lhng vtwo of sald ports, and

an Operating rod fr saidw'zxlve lllenns c tending through Saidatmosphere port.

In Witness whereof, I have hereunto se( my handut Indianapolis,Indizu1a,`this 29th day o f Deee1nb`e1,'A. D. one thousand nino hundredand twenty.

CHESTER S. HIGHER.

